Coach: Despite Wind, Rain, Cougars Claim Another Victory

This update was provided by coach Mike Curci. If you'd like to report on a Cranford sports game, please feel free to send over the score and photos.

The Cranford boy’s varsity soccer team overcame heavy winds, rain and a chilly 40 degree temperature to earn a 3-1 victory over Arthur L. Johnson on the turf at Memorial Field Thursday night. This win keeps the Cougars undefeated at 14-0 while clinching their third consecutive conference championship.

These three conference titles are the first in the history of boy’s soccer at the school. So far the Cougars have posted an amazing conference record of 24-2 during that span. They still have one conference game remaining, but they already have an edge over conference competitor Governor Livingston, whose only conference loss this year was to Cranford by a score of 3-1 back on September 15.

Thusday's weather didn’t seem to bother the Cougars, as they took control early as sweeper Pat Kaskiw moved into the attacking third and curved the ball into the upper left corner of the net to give the home side a 1-0 advantage. Cranford missed a pair of golden chances in the half, but would make up for those misses in the second stanza.

At the 53 minute mark of the second half, junior midfielder Connor DeMars crushed a Nick Pace cross from the left side, finishing a vicious line drive volley shot from 16 yards out which gave the Cougars a 2-0 lead.

“DeMars' shot was awesome. He not only has a tremendous feel for the game, but he’s capable of nailing volleys like that because he owns near-perfect technique” said head coach Michael Curci. "His footwork is the best on the team. The moves he made tonight were fun to watch. Connor is a tremendous talent, and to think, he’s only a junior.”

Five minutes later, Pace assisted again, sending a perfect near-side corner kick to Alex Rocha, who backheeled the ball out of the air and into the back of the net to give the Cougars a commanding 3-0 advantage.

Pace now owns 7 goals and a team-leading 11 assists on the season.

“Nick has been a catalyst all year,” said Curci. “He seems to be everywhere on the field because of his speed and athleticism. I know he loves to score, but he also knows how important assists are, and his unselfish play has helped us win game after game.”

With eight minutes to go, ALJ tallied on a perfectly placed shot by Lenny Palermo into the right hand corner, but it was too little too late for the ALJ squad, who was coming off a 1-0 overtime upset of No. 12 Westfield this past Monday.

“ALJ is well-coached by Dan House and very tough, and we knew they not only beat Westfield, but took Scotch Plains right down to the wire earlier this season, losing on a late penalty kick," said Curci. "Our players also know a lot of their guys which creates a little rivalry, so to come out with a win like this was very special.”

Senior goalie Scott Boyer had three saves in the victory. Cranford outshot the Crusaders by a 21-7 margin. They have now scored 51 goals while giving up just five on the season.

Cranford will play host to defending county champion Elizabeth in the Union County Tournament quarterfinal round on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at Memorial Field. The Cougars defeated the Minutemen 2-1 this past Monday in Elizabeth.

“We know this is going to be another exciting game, but we’ve been playing some great soccer of late and I’m confident we’ll be ready for the challenge," said Curci.